Being
bombarded with some 400 or more pages of written
material during the
summer and in their first weeks on campus makes
it difficult for
first-year LS&A students to think about the
University in a coherent
way.

To address this problem and make it possible for students
to
negotiate the institution, LS&A's Joint Faculty-Student
Policy
Committee has recommended a series of steps that will make the U-M
a
more personalized place for new students.

The group's report was
reviewed by chair David Schoem, assistant
dean for undergraduate
education, at last Monday's LS&A faculty
meeting and briefly discussed
by those in attendance.

Schoem noted that the recommendation to
establish academic
communities, both residence hall- and non-residence
hall-based, is
one of the most important. Academic communities, he said,
engage
students in the intellectual life of the institution, make it
easier
to deliver support services and highlight the important role
faculty
play in the life of the students while they are here.

"If
students are engaged in the intellectual life of the
University," he said,
"they are more likely to thrive. Plus faculty
prefer students of this
type."

In addition, Schoem noted, studies have shown that
"students who
are part of learning communities utilize support services to
a
greater extent."

The other
recommendations:

Develop departmental clubs for
concentrators.

Take a case management approach to advising,
require
periodic audits and make greater use of peer
advising.

Expand freshman interest
groups.

Expand University Course 101 offerings through
learning
communities.

Utilize technology to a greater extent
in orientation and
advising.

Facilitate faculty involvement
for those interested in
participating in student support
services.

During open discussion of the recommendations, Paul
Courant,
professor of economics and public policy, acknowledged that
students
attached to small groups perform better, but questioned cause
and
effect.

"What's not clear," he said, "is if we create more
[learning
communities] will students select them. What about
those
[students] who are not interested?"

Schoem said that
the U-M approach will not be one of attempting to
funnel everyone into a
group. "The aim is to create a climate in
which students will not feel
anonymous but rather attached in some
way, to create a climate where this
happens naturally."

LS&A Dean Edie N. Goldenberg cited the
success of the
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) and the
21st
Century Program and noted that "fairly reliable evidence" shows
they
are positive experiences for the students.

She also said that
"demand for UROP vastly exceeds our ability to
respond" and that the Women
in Science and Engineering learning
community also is successful, with a
wait list.

Goldenberg expressed concern at a suggestion of simply
expanding
current programs to meet demand. "We don't want to defeat the
essence
of our success," she said. She noted that a number of faculty
are
showing interest in community service activities as part
oftheir
curriculum and that this might provide an opportunity
for
establishment of learning communities.

Ruth Scodel, professor
of Greek and Latin and director of the
Honors Program, expressed concern
that "throwing together students
already interested in the same thing"
would cause them to miss other
values held by the
University.

Establishment of learning communities and interest
groups, Scodel
said, "should be driven by the kind of academic experience
we want to
provide," not by the need to make students happy. Care should
be
taken, she added, lest the "community takes over
learning."

Scodel urged careful thought about the recommendations,
with an
eye on the question, "What are our values as a large liberal
arts
college?"

An offer of help for departments seeking to
establish peer
advising programs came from Patricia Y. Gurin, chair of
the
Department of Psychology.

The department's program serves
about 600 students each term and
is highly rated by them. Gurin pointed
out that the peer advising is
not a substitute for faculty contact, and
that there is an intensive
training program for the peer
advisers.

She said the department would be happy to help others
tailor peer
advising programs to meet their needs. Goldenberg encouraged
units to
contact Gurin, adding that support would be available through
Lincoln
Faller, associate dean for undergraduate
education.

Goldenberg noted that the report "is a set of
suggestions to think
about," adding that the College "is not moving to
requirements."

Editor's Note: A more detailed article on the
report of the
Joint Faculty-Student Policy Committee appeared in the Oct.
2 issue
of the
Record